Crystal Millennium
by Kayire
Summary: Lying forgotten in the ruins of a Silenced kingdom, an entity awakens, seeking the justice for treachery once faced. An ancient voice calls out for the forgotten soldiers to once more awaken and strike down the usurper.
1. Chapter 1

_Shroud in the cover of a thick silvery fog, she ran…_

_With each step, the muscles in her legs screamed in protest. There was no time to worry about that, the only thing that mattered to her was getting away. Oh, but she was exhausted! _

If only I could reach my broach…_She felt the familiar weight of the object. But trying to reach out and touch it was as futile as attempting to grasp the fog she was shroud in; her hands just ran through it. _

_The wind behind her picked up, she felt it on the back of her neck. With it, came a voice that whispered, _'Why do you run? Do you flee because you are afraid? Yes,' _it mused,_ 'you are afraid. I can sense your fear.'

_Startled, she lost her footing and fell, scraping her knees on the way. Moments that seemed like hours passed with her just staring in shock confusion. The reality of the situation soon became clear. Frantically, she darted her head around in each direction in search of the voice._

_There was no time._

_Getting off the ground proved difficult. Her whole body ached. She would be sore come the dawn. Despite the pain, she laughed. There would be no morning. She was here for eternity. That was if she didn't get far, far away._

But what was the point?_ Her mind inquired. _There was no hope for a doomed soul.

No. Not yet! There was always hope! Even in her worst times, she always had hope.

_With a desperate haste she continued at the same pace before._

_After being subjected to the torture she put them through, her legs finally gave up. They simply went limp, causing the woman to tumble down and lay sprawled on the ground. _

_She did not know whether to laugh or cry—she wanted to do both. The irony! She was going to die._

Not without a fight. _Hope_, she told herself, _she had to hold on to the hope that she will live. _

_The voice was back, the whisper interrupting the stillness of her surroundings. _'I found you.'

_So familiar. She knew if she listened closely, she would be able to remember._

Just listen…

_All thoughts were shattered when unseen ice cold hands gripped around her throat as nails dug deep into her flesh. As tissue and muscle were torn, all she could do was scream. The screaming only intensified when she felt the first warm trickle of blood on her throat. _

"Be at ease,' _the owner of the voice tried to sound soothing, but the woman was in no position to be comforted. _'I won't have to kill. I am here for what is rightfully mine."

"_What do you want of me?" She heard the echo her voice cry out.  
_  
'The Crystal.' _The voice breathed in reply._

_In an instant, she was overwhelmed. Ghostly strings entwined her heart pulling her, calling her to obey. Tears streamed down her face as she felt her will fade away. Just a bit longer and she would give in to everything and anything that was asked of her..._

Anything.

_Through all of this, she abruptly found another emotion: anger. She was not some girl to be chased, tortured, and manipulated. In the past, she may have lacked the strength and gave in. Not anymore. . The anger squeezed itself into a hard knot and she clung to it._

"_No." Was all she said. _

_The grip around her neck tightened but for a moment, then released. The stench of decay lay thick around her. And then suddenly, the fog lifted and she was able to recognize her surroundings. It was the Moon. She was on the Moon. _

_Except she was not alone. Before her, stood a figure shroud in a cloak of shadows. Despite that, she could feel the figure's eyes on her. _"That was a mistake." _Was all the cloaked figure said before the world faded._

Neo-Queen Serenity's eyes shot open. Despite the warm late June breeze from the open window, she felt cold. "It was a dream," she murmured to assure herself. "Just a dream." And dreams meant nothing.

The queen sat up from her bed and tossed off the blanket she had covered herself with before her nap. After the trials of her teenage years, and dealing with an increasing unruly daughter while ruling the Crystal Millennium, Serenity was no stranger to nightmares. She easily shrugged the dream off as she had shrugged off many things throughout her long reign.

Today was not about her or her strange dream. Today was her daughter's Coming of Age ceremony. Just like the dream, Serenity easily pushed aside the thought that it was technically her forty-second birthday. Thinking of her own age and the fact her only daughter was finally an adult was not something she liked to dwell on for too long.

Serenity smoothed the blankets over the bed. In her youth, she detested the thought of making a bed. Now that servants scampered to tidy the bed up whenever she left her apartments, she got in the habit of at least attempting to make the servant's lives a little easier by being as tidy as possibly. Or at least trying. Serenity still considered herself a work in progress.

She shrugged off her bedclothes and hung them on the peg outside her bathroom where a bath was already drawn for her. The room was filled with a thin layer of steam that caused the mirrors to fog up. Despite that, she caught a glimpse of her reflection. Her body aged slower, but she was beginning to detect certain aspects were not as firm as they used to be.

Dismaying over stretch marks and her breast's losing battle with gravity did not catch her attention. Walking to the mirror, Serenity used her hand to wipe a portion of the mirror clean and examined her neck. She felt no pain, but there were ten gashes on her neck, resembling fingernails.

Blinking, Serenity withdrew from the mirror and moved towards the bath. She would speak to Endymion tomorrow about this. For now, she would cover the area with a jeweled choker.

By the time she was bathed and dressed, Endymion was seated on the bed, dressed in his royal finery. Age had caught up to the king faster than the queen. While he was not the boy she fell in love with during a masked ball many millennia and a lifetime ago, Endymion looked more dignified than ever and every time she looked at her husband, she felt the sameas she had when she first met him.

"Your choker looks fine. Stop fiddling with it." He told her in a soft voice. "Next to our daughter, you'll be the most beautiful one there."

Serenity back to the mirror one last time to ensure the choker had not slipped out of place. She trusted her husband's words, but she needed to hide her expression. Serenity loved her daughter dearly, but over the years, they had grown apart. Being called the second best by her own husband hurt more than she cared to let on.

Her attention went to the door when she heard a faint knock. "Come in, Megumi-chan." Serenity called.

The door opened and emitted a tall woman with soft features. Her pale wavy hair was carefully placed in a bun. The young woman cast her dark watery blue eyes to the ground before deeply bowing before her sovereigns. "I am here to tell Your Royal Majesties that everything set up for Her Royal Highnesses' Coming of Age ceremony."

"Thank you, Megumi." Serenity said. The young woman bowed once more before quietly exiting the room. Megumi was always as quiet as possible. Often, she was nearly silent. Serenity always found the servant's quietness disturbing while Endymion preferred it over the noisier and clumsier servants that Serenity preferred.

Serenity cast one last glance in the mirror before exiting her apartments. Endymion was right behind her. Her daughter was already in the hallway. She wore a light pink and white furisode that was embroidered with even lighter pink cherry blossoms. For the occasion, her hair was neatly wrapped in a tight bun. Her bangs were too short to slick back, so she just brushed them out as tidy as possible. A servant carefully placed a hair accessory in the princesses pink tresses.

The decoration was a red flower that Serenity could not identify. She just caught sight of the beads attached to the hair accessory. It looked like they would slap the princess in the face every time she moved her head. Serenity knew that before the end of the night her daughter would rip the ornament out in frustration.

Even so, the princess looked every inch of the adult she was, but her outfit...

"I didn't know you were planning on wearing that." Endymion said. "I thought you were going to wear the royal regalia."

Small Lady Princess Serenity just fixed her father with a smile. "But Papa, I look better in pink! Besides, we're in Japan and celebrating a _Japanese_ tradition! I felt it was important to be dressed traditionally." She paused a moment to reflect on her words. "Well, as traditionally as possible anyway. We're not exactly keeping with tradition, are we?"

Endymion looked over at Serenity. "There really is no time for her to change..."

"And it is her birthday." Serenity finished. "She can dress how she wants to." Even if it meant interfering with the ceremony, Serenity added.

"Just like you, Mama." the princess said. "That choker _definitely_ is not part of the royal regalia!"

Before Serenity had a chance to process what her daughter meant by that comment, Endymion spoke up. "All of Usagi's friends are waiting as are yours and all the other guests. Shall we proceed to the ballroom, ladies?"

Ever since she entered high school, Chibiusa insisted being called by her real name. It took some adjusting, but after Usagi threatened on being called Usako, Serenity relented a lot more easily. "We should not keep our guests waiting."

"Who goes first again?" Usagi asked.

"You're the guest of honor, so we will walk behind you." Serenity said. While on the way to the ballroom, Serenity could not help but adjusting her choker one final time.

"Their Royal Majesties, Neo-Queen Serenity King Endymion and Her Royal Highness Princess Serenity!" Usagi heard a page call out as she swept into the grand ballroom. Usagi stopped identifying the location of pages wherever she went. They were always just there, somewhere, waiting to announce her when she walked into formal events.

She also wanted to concentrate on not tripping over her own feet. Usagi may have disliked the way her dress brought out the weird pink and yellow undertones of her skin, but it was much easier to walk in than her current outfit!

When her feet landed on the floor, Usagi breathed a quick sigh of relief. She quickly scanned the crowd for signs of her friends. It may have been her party, but her father reminded her that she needed to uphold formalities. As far as she could recognize, the French President was in attendance along with the British Prime Minister. While she forgot what the new American general looked like, she spotted a few American flags on soldiers' dress uniforms and knew at least one high ranking American diplomat was in attendance as well. She would need to speak to all of them at least once tonight.

She had to get through the hard part first before she attempted to communicate in her horrendous English. On the other side of the ballroom, a small throne was set up. She made her way towards it while making eye contact with a guest here or there and giving a slight nod or smile. Or both. It really depending on what she felt like.

By the time she reached the throne, her facial muscles felt a little bit strained. By that time, the room was so quiet that Usagi felt people towards the staircase heard her sit on the throne. As soon as she did so, she saw her parents by each side of the throne. Between the time she arrived in the ballroom and her moving to the throne, her mother was given a small purple pillow with a small silver tiara on the middle.

Her heart began to thump a little. _So this is why they wanted me to wear the regalia! _She only hoped her hair piece would not interfere with whatever her parents planned on doing. Her mother presented the tiara to the crowd. "I, Neo-Queen Serenity of the Moon and Earth." she intoned.

"And I King Endymion of Earth..." her father continued.

"Declare you of age." Serenity finished. Usagi had no idea how her mother did it, but she placed the tiara on her head. By the smile her mother had on her face, she could tell that she did not look ridiculous with two head ornaments. Or her mother was secretly laughing at her. Usagi wasn't really sure.

"By the light of the Silver Moon, I name you, Chiba Usagi, Princess Serenity a scion of the Silver Millennium." Serenity finished.

"By the grace of the Earth, I name you, Chiba Usagi Princess Serenity, the heir to this kingdom."

As a mercy, the tiara was taken off of Usagi's head and placed back on the pillow. She did not see where the tiara went because as soon as her mother departed, people came to speak to now declared heir of the Crystal Millennium. Many faces she did not recognize, but she spoke as candidly to the well-wishers as possible. Through the line, she spotted Hotaru. In spite of her older age, the young woman looked like she was still in her late teens. It was always nice speaking to her childhood friend, but the gaps in age made things awkward.

Hotaru's presence was not unwelcomed. However, the older woman's facial expression was odd. She kept eyeballing the two women in front of her. As they got closer, Usagi was able to make out their appearance. The other woman once boasted the same platinum blonde hair of her younger companion, but it was now streaked with white and grey. In spite of that, her face appeared fairly youthful. As much as she tried to pay attention to who she was speaking to, her gaze kept moving back to the duo that Usagi decided had to be mother and daughter.

When it was their turn, she finally caught a glimpse of them. Both women had dark sapphire blue eyes. The older woman looked much older close up while the younger had a youthful doll-like appearance. Upon reaching them, both women dropped in a deep curtsy. "Allow us to introduce ourselves." the younger woman said. "I am Tranquility the Younger while this is my mother, Tranquility the Elder of the White Moon."

Usagi could only stare. Did she say of the Moon...? That was impossible though. She immediately felt her father's hand rest protectively on her shoulder.

"My daughter is young and has not learned to control her tongue." Tranquility the Elder quickly explained. "We share the original Selene and Endymion as ancestors. One could claim we are of the White Moon just as Terrans can claim common ancestry to an Eve. We don't come wishing harm. We only came to bestow blessings of happiness and perpetual peace in this galaxy."

Usagi turned her head to fix her mother with a quizzical stare. She was familiar with the myth of Endymion and Selene, but never thought it was true. Her mother moved passed the throne to embrace Tranquility the Elder. "You are most welcome here. No matter how distantly, you are family."

"Thank you, Tranquility the Elder said, "but my daughter and I have our place and it is not in Crystal Tokyo."

"Then please, stay as long as you need. If you ever need anything, never hesitate to ask." Serenity told the pair.

"We are appreciative towards your hospitality" Tranquility the Elder said before departing. Tranquility the Younger lingered for a moment longer before bowing her head and following her mother.

"That was strange." Usagi whispered to Hotaru as she approached.

Hotaru watched the pair depart for a moment longer before turning to Usagi to speak. "I only briefly heard what they had to say. They seem harmless enough, but it is odd how they showed up just now. They had plenty of time to speak to your mother before the start of Crystal Tokyo and-"

"Enough!" Serenity said. "It doesn't matter who they are or why they decided to appear. It only matters that they are here now. You both will be polite to them."

"Yes, Mama..." Usagi said.

"Well, congratulations, Princess." Hotaru said, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "I should go. Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa would be disappointed if they could not get a chance to speak to you. And I know I spotted Aino-san in the crowd. I forget her married name, but I know she came all the way from New York City to see you."

"Well, okay, I'll talk to you later!" Usagi said with all the enthusiasm she could muster.

Her back was beginning to ache from sitting upright. In an attempt to ease her comfort, she sat back into the throne while attempting to still sit upright. Just as she did that, she heard a loud crash towards the back of the ballroom. Initially, she thought nothing of it until she heard several more that was accompanied by panicked shouts.

Usagi immediately stood up and climbed on the seat of the throne in order to get a better look. The crowd was starting to part, but she could see two figures clad in a metallic outfits that looked like a hybrid between the bodysuit of a sailor fuku and armor. They were both attacking the crowd. The first woman dressed in lavender with gold accents had copper skin that deeply contrasted her pale lavender hair and sharp gold eyes. The second woman wore a light blue with darker blue accents. Her pale blue hair cascaded down her back in soft waves and watery deep blue eyes were scanning the crowd.

"Mama, that's Megumi in the crowd!" Usagi cried. She immediately looked over at her mother who was clutching her broach. "You need to transform!"

Now that she thought about it, none of the other senshi were fighting despite the fact they were in the crowd. Her own broach appeared in her hands. "Moon Crisis MAKE UP!" she called.

Nothing.

Furrowing her eyebrows together, she remembered she could only transform in the presence of Sailormoon. Holding her broach up one more time, she called out, "Moon Prism Power MAKE UP!"

Once more, nothing.

"I can't transform to become Sailormoon anymore.." Serenity said softly. She unfolded her fingers from around her broach and held out her hand to Usagi. "Not anymore. But think you can."

With her free hand, Usagi grabbed her mother's. As soon as she did do, her own broach shattered and disappeared. She opened her mother's broach and touched the inside of it before calling out, "MOON CELESTIAL POWER! MAKE UP!"

She did not have time to look down at her new uniform before Sailormoon jumped into action. Several people lay on the ground, clearly injured. Sailormoon tried not to stare at the blood.

Her transformation got the attention of the assailants. "Oh look, Quintessence." Megumi said. "The little princess is now Sailormoon. Not for long though."

Sailormoon immediately raised a silver and pink scepter. Before she could say any words of power, she felt herself being pushed to the ground. The world became a blur as she heard even more panicked cries from the crowd.

Her head whipped around to see one of the American soldiers on top of her. It only took a second for her to register the blood that was pouring from the young woman's back and out of her mouth. The other assailant, Quintessence was standing above her.

"Kami-sama…" Sailormoon breathed. She would have been attacked if it was not for that soldier.

"SILENCE WALL!" Sailormoon heard another voice cry out. She immediately knew who it was. While it was a relief to know Sailorsaturn was fighting, it also sent a shiver up her spine.

A faint purple haze surrounded both Sailormoon and the solider. That gave Sailormoon enough time to move the soldier in a more comfortable position. "Thank you," she whispered to the woman before standing up.

Sailorsaturn had her gaze transfixed on Quintessence, so Sailormoon turned to Megumi. She raised her scepter. "Silver Moon Scant—"

Before she could finish her attack, Megumi disappeared in a flash of blue light. Sailormoon lowered her scepter and turned to see that Quintessence had disappeared as well.

"Their method of attack seems strange." Saturn observed.

"What do you mean?" Sailormoon asked.

"It's like they were deliberately targeting certain people. They expected you, but disappeared once I transformed." Saturn moved to the injured solider. She reached and touched the neck. Sailormoon only assumed she was looking for a pulse.

"She's still alive." Saturn said. "I can do what I can to heal her. Look to see who else is hurt."

By now, nearly the entire grand ballroom was nearly empty. All around her, people were sprawled out either injured, dead, or dying. Her stomach churned and she had to fight the urge not to get sick. Witnessing this was not part of the training she received in the twenty-first century.


	2. Chapter 2

The battle was over and Usagi was ushered out of the ballroom. She had tried to wait outside the doors of the ballroom, but was stopped from doing so. Instead, Usagi retreated to a corner several meters away from the main entrance of the ballroom where she remained undisturbed while she watched as stretchers carried out the injured. Each time she saw a stretcher pass, she felt a knot twist in the pit of her stomach.

But each time the stretcher contained a person in a body bag, Usagi had to divert her eyes. She reacted as fast as she could and there was no way to predict the attack. Even so, she felt like she failed them.

Usagi's gaze lingered at the last stretcher went down the corridor. The body in the bag was smaller. She saw several children in the ballroom. How someone could attack a child was beyond her.

"Small Lady? You should not have to see this."

Usagi quickly looked in the direction of the voice. On the stretcher was Mizuno Ami, bloodstained bandage was on the side of her head.

"Mizuno-san!" Usagi cried, quickly moving to the stretcher. "I didn't know you were attacked."

"I wasn't." Ami answered. "I don't believe so anyway. My head hit the pillar. Kenji-I mean, my husband-did a quick assessment before he took Shinobu-chan out of the ballroom. I believe I a mild concussion at most and just need to be monitored."

"But you're bleeding." Usagi pointed out.

Ami touched the bandage to show her injury was not causing her any serious pain. "The wound is superficial. My husband doesn't believe it even needs stitches. Head wounds always bleed the most, Small Lady. You have other things to worry about than to fret over me."

"Is there anything I can do though?"

Ami considered a moment. "Shinobu-chan saw things today no one much less a child should see. She is probably terrified. I'm sure a visit from the princess who saved the day would give her some comfort."

Shinobu was Ami's eight year old daughter. In a stark contrast to her quiet methodical parents, Shinobu was a hyperactive child who was mesmerized by the fantastical and dreamed of fairy tales.

"I can do that." Usagi promised. Without a doubt, Shinobu would look at her like she was a warrior princess. Unfortunately, she felt like the complete opposite of one. Hotaru saved the day, not her.

* * *

"None of the other senshi were able to transform. But the only one who was is Sailorfuckingsaturn!" Megumi fumed. A weathered vase was next to her. She kicked it over in frustration. It didn't shatter. She paused a moment before picking it up and kicking it again. "What can we honestly do about that?"

As Megumi vented, Elemental Champion Fire reclined in her chair. To keep herself entertained, she twisted a strand of her cropped golden hair, the tips were a deep red that matched her eyes. When it was clear Megumi was done abusing inanimate objects, she just shrugged. "Simple, Water-chan. Kill her."

"A novel idea, Fire." Elemental Champion Water said. "How do you propose we do that? Shall I go back to being a servant and wait until Sailorsaturm shows up and stab her?"

Fire snorted. "Don't be so myopic. You and Quinty attacked the princess' little party, injured and killed some people. Sailormoon showed up as expected, but so did Saturn No other senshi transformed despite the entire Sailor Team and their spawns being in the ballroom. We know their numbers, they don't know ours. You ruffled some feathers and got out of there like it was planned. For all the Royal Family knows, we failed out objective."

"None of them missed a chromosome at birth. They can figure it out quite easily."

"And by the time they do figure it out, it will be too late." Fire said simply. "But now that I actually took time and listened to you, I am dying to know how the party went."

"I waited for Quintessence to show up, transformed, and started attacking at random while Quintessence went after the targets."

"So does that mean the old lady is dead?" Fire asked excitedly.

"Unless she was just pinning for fjords, she's dead." Water answered. When the only response from Fire was to laugh, Water furrowed her brows. "Well, aren't you just a sadistic little bitch."

"She was old. Her days were numbered and Quinty just expedited the process. You haven't finished though. When you started attacking, did everyone start screaming? How about the Queen? Was she afraid? How about the other senshi? Did you get any of them?"

Water stood for a few moments, just staring at Fire. "You're twisted." She finally said before exiting the room.

* * *

"The only way anyone can manifest in a dream is through Elysion." Artemis surmised. Queen Serenity was seated next to King Endymion on a couch while Artemis and Luna sat next to one another on the floor. Diana was laying underneath the couch the king and queen sat on, just listening to her parents talk.

Artemis addressed Endymion. "There has been no activity from Elysion, correct?"

The king just shook his head to indicate that he had not heard anything.

"In any case. I think it may be best to travel to Elysion and speak to Helios. Even if he doesn't know anything, he may be able to help us understand why the queen was attacked." Luna said.

"How?" Artemis asked. "I don't want to disagree with you, Luna. But accessing Elysion is not exactly easy."

"There is a way to get there." Endymion said. "Who would go?"

For the first time in the conversation, Diana spoke up, poking her head out from underneath the couch. "I can."

"No." Artemis said firmly. "Your place is here with the princess."

"I don't know what I can do for Usagi-sama." Diana said sheepishly. "You and Mama will be more helpful than I will. You know what to do, I don't. If I went to Elysion to find out what happened to Serenity-sama, I could at least help."

Artemis considered what his daughter said before looking over at Luna. "It's your call."

"Well…" Luna considered. "Elysion is the safest place on Earth."

"So I can go?" Diana asked, her pink eyes glistening in excitement.

"You can go." Luna said. "We agreed that the appearance of Tranquility the Elder and Tranquility the Younger is not connected to the attack as Tranquility the Elder was killed. Her daughter is in shock over the entire situation. Which leads me to my next point: the Sailor Senshi."

"Makoto, Rei, Haruka, and Michiru tried to transform but couldn't." Serenity said. "Chibiusa tried to transform into Sailorchibimoon. When I could not transform into Sailormoon, I knew it was Chibiusa's time to become Sailormoon."

"Then the others can pass down their powers too, correct?" Endymion asked.

"I don't think it's that simple." Serenity told her husband. "Hotaru has no heir and is still Sailorsaturn. Haruka and Michiru don't have any children either."

"The Princess and Hotaru-chan can't fight alone." Diana protested. "Minako has a daughter old enough to be a senshi. Makoto has a daughter too! Same with Ami!"

"Shinobu is eight years old." Luna reminded Diana. "I don't think Serenity-sama and Endymion-sama would be comfortable having a child become a soldier."

"Chibiusa-chan was the only exception I will ever make. She also had the protection of the entire Sailor Team. Makoto and Rei's oldest children are boys and Seika-chan is only ten years old." Serenity said firmly. She was referring to Makoto's middle child, Seika.

"And there are no other senshi?" Diana asked. The only answer she received was silence. "Well?"

"There were." Luna answered. "But they died before Sailorsaturn Silenced the Silver Millennium and were never reborn on Earth. The planets they guarded are not even planets anymore. During the Silver Millenium they were at most, ceremonial figures. They were powerless during the Silver Millennium and even if they were around, would be powerless now."

"So what can we do?" Diana asked.

Once more, a silence fell over the room. It was only broken by Neo-Queen Serenity. "I don't know."


	3. Chapter 3

Usagi watched as Diana slipped into a sleep that would allow her to enter Elysion. She knew it was only a trip to Elysion, but watching Diana sleep filled her with dread. It was like the time she watched her great-grandmother die.

She suppressed the shiver that went up her spine and attempted to look calm since her mother entered the room. "Yes?" she asked, not turning to look at her mother.

"To pass the time until Diana returns, why don't you accompany Luna and I to the hospital?"

This perked Usagi's curiosity. "Are we going to visit Mizuno-san?" It had been a few days since the attack and just thinking Ami was still in the hospital…

"No, no, no." Serenity said, putting Usagi's fears to rest. "Do you remember the girl who pushed you out of the way of that attack?"

Usagi's features darkened as she nodded. "I thought Houtaru healed her. What is she doing back in the hospital? "The woman was an American and Usagi always assumed she would be given a medal or something and sent back to America.

"Hotaru saved her life, yes. However, it still takes time to recover from her injuries. I am just a surprised as you are to learn she is still in the hospital. I thought it would be appropriate to go and thank her in person. Perhaps see if she needs anything."

"I should probably go too, huh?" Usagi asked. She stole a look at her feline friend. Diana always hated being pet like she was an actual cat. But now that she was asleep, Usagi could not resist the temptation to scratch her friend behind the ear.

"You're the Crown Princess now and Sailor Moon. Visiting the person responsible for saving you, risking her own life in the process, is the most diplomatic thing.' Serenity said. To reassure her daughter, she added. "Diana is safe."

* * *

Ciara Donovan attempted to shift into a more comfortable position. Her body screamed in protest, forcing her to stop and lean back against the flat pillows of her hospital bed. She had done something dangerous that was either extremely noble or stupid-despite all the time she had to reflect on her actions, she still could not decide between the two-and almost died. And she could tell. Ciara knew the copious amount of narcotics that were numbing her pain receptors accounted for her extreme drowsiness. The lethargy she experience was chalked up to her near death experience.

With one unsteady hand, Ciara reached over for the button to deliver more Vicodin. The drugs made her sleepy, but before she fell back asleep, she always felt more cheerful and relaxed. It was no wonder professional athletes liked it so much...

Ciara was not sure how much time passed until she drifted into a dreamless sleep. When she woke once more, the sunlight flooded the room. She could hear voices to her left.

People. Speaking in the room. Visitors.

Groggily, Ciara turned her head away from the people talking in order to fall back asleep. Whatever they were saying was in Japanese, which she could barely understand. Yet, she caught enough of the conversation to know doctors and nurses were not talking about her.

Turning her head to the sound of the visitors, Ciara quickly jolted into alertness when she saw who her visitors were. "Neo-Queen Serenity-sama. Princess Serenity-sama...Hello," she greeted in Japanese. She had to take a deep breath, trying to remain calm despite her increased heart palpitations.

"Hello, Donovan-san." Neo-Queen Serenity greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Ciara quickly replied. "Thank you."

She was not fine, but she could not tell the queen that she was in excruciating pain and was beginning to regret the decision to become the Crown Princess' meat shield. Those thoughts always brought the word "treason" to mind. That and she was groggy and more than a little high on the pain killers.

"That is wonderful to hear. When Hota-Sailorsaturn-healed you, I was still not sure you would pull through." Serenity said. "What you did was incredibly brave. You saved the princesses from harm and you should be commended for it."

Ciara barely caught what the queen said. Instead, she just smiled and nodded. She caught enough of the conversation to know she was receiving a compliment. Briefly, she wondered if she should tell the queen her Japanese was terrible. She quickly decided against it. This was the queen after all and she could at least pretend she spoke the language fluently.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Ciara noticed a black cat jump on top of the bed. Ciara always heard the Royal family had talking cats as advisors. She always dismissed the notion. Until now.

"Um...hello kitty." Ciara said in English as Luna, walked up the bed. The cat was careful not to step on her, but the look she gave Ciara as Luna stared at her face was making her increasingly uncomfortable. "Do you want," she tried to think of what a talking cat would want with her, "to be pet...?" Ciara finished weakly.

"This is Luna," Usagi explained in English. Her accent was thick, but she spoke very clearly. "Luna, what _are _you doing?"

Luna continued to stare at Ciara. She soon jumped off the bed. "May I speak to you outside, Serenity-sama?" Luna asked.

Serenity furrowed her brows and gave Ciara an apologetic smile before stepping outside the room. Usagi turned to go as well, but Serenity quickly shook her head. When the door closed behind the cat and queen, Ciara felt sick. Cats had a tendency to stare at humans for what seemed like hours on end. Luna, however, was more sentiment than an ordinary house cat. Whatever she saw, Ciara did not like it.

* * *

"Luna, the poor girl was terrified when she left." Serenity said once she shut the door. She paused, not wishing to say what she had to next-especially when the girl saved her daughter's life. "Did you sense anything about her?"

"Yes," Luna admitted. She took a deep breath before launching into an explanation. "When your mother Queen Selenity sacrifice herself in order to send her court to the future, it did not include those who perished before Queen Beryl lead her final assault on the Moon."

"Yes, but I do not see what this has to do with Donovan-san."

"Does her face not look familiar to you?" Luna asked. "She was older than you, but not by much."

Serenity thought momentarily before shaking her head.

"She held the exalted position of commanding your mother's military and rallied the Sol System together when the war between Earth and the Moon broke out. She was the one who squashed the Artukan crisis before the Artukan Empire became a threat." Luna said. She cocked her head to the side, hoping the queen would think. "Do you remember now?"

"The Captain-General!" Serenity gasped. Now she could clearly visualize the Captain-General's face and how strikingly similar it was to Ciara's. Her dark brown hair was shorter and stylish compared to how long the figure from her past life kept it. The girl's face held a youthful prettiness that held no signs of the stress the Captain-General faced near the end of her life. But the auburn eyes were the same.

"Yes. She is not a senshi, but she may be able to help Chibiusa-chan."

Usagi turned from the door to Ciara. She hoped her irritation at being excluded from the private meeting between her mother and Luna was well hidden behind a mask of chipperness. She disliked being left out of conversations that was undoubtedly important. Yet, she did not want to be rude in front of Ciara or make her worry. Especially after everything that happened to her.

Speaking of which...

"Sorry about what happened to you." she said.

"It could have been worse." Ciara dismissed. She attempted to make eye contact with her, but quickly averted her gaze. Usagi wanted to sigh. Despite Ciara's behavior being the same as the majority of people she met over the years, she never got used to it. People always acted differently around her because she was the princess.

Even so, Usagi preferred awkward conversation to awkward silence. She rocked back and forth on her heels for a moment before saying the first thing that came to mind. "Do you have any plans for the weekend?" she asked. As soon as she said it, Usagi wanted to smack her herself. "That's right...Never mind...Sorry!"

"It's okay." Ciara said. "My roommate gave me concert tickets. I'm usually not that big on live music, but they were free. Her leave packet was approved super late and she bought the ticket before it was approved."

Usagi just listened as Ciara talked. She never liked English, but spoke it well enough. Ciara was easy enough to understand, but her American accent had a peculiar dialect. It was not a Brooklyn or southern dialect. Her speech was almost nasally compared to the standard American accent. She also spoke rather quickly.

Usagi realized must have had a strange expression on her face because Ciara looked somewhat uncomfortable. "Sorry. Military lingo," she apologized. "A leave packet is just a request for vacation time. It's just boring paper work. The Army likes paperwork almost as much as they like fucki-messing up the paper work."

"Oh no," Usagi said. "I kind of got that. So um...what kind of concert is it?"

"To be honest, I don't remember. I didn't even know if I wanted to go. Would you...Would you or anyone else you know what the ticket?" Ciara finished timidly. "I've been trying to sell it before I just decided to give it away. That's kind of weird. Sorry."

That took Usagi aback. She had attempted to attend school when she was younger, but that proved to be disastrous. After that, she was then privately tutored until university. Even then, her attending Tokyo University was something rarely talked about. She did not join any clubs and if she felt like going to class, she went there and back. Even when she was sent to the past, most of her time was spent in the careful watch of others. That and she could not go enjoy a concert when an unknown enemy was out there.

Before Usagi had the chance to deny Ciara's offer, the door opened to admit her mother and Luna. The looks on their faces were somber, but not somber enough to signal that anything was grievously wrong. A thought entered Usagi's head that she immediately latched on to. The only way her mother and Luna would be acting like this if they saw something in Ciara. Like her being a senshi!

Usagi had always believed being a senshi was hereditary, but she had been quickly corrected. Her mind raced to what senshi Ciara possibly could be. Since she was in the military, perhaps Sailormars? Mars was the god of war and it seemed fitting. Ciara even reminded her of Hino-san...

"We apologize if we gave you a start, Donovan-san." Serenity said in Japanese. "I am wondering if perhaps the title Captain-General means anything to you?"

Ciara smiled apologetically. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. My Japanese is not very good."

When Serenity repeated herself in English, Ciara crunched her face up before shaking her head. "No...Is...is something wrong?"

Now it was Usagi's turn to be confused. This did not sound like her mother and Luna were awakening the next Sailormars. _She _certainly never heard of a Captain-General.

Luna audibly sighed. "How do I say this?" she asked. "This is hard to explain. Miss Donovan, do you ever get the feeling that you lived before? That you were someone else..?"

"No."

Based upon Luna's expression, she was not too thrilled about being the one speaking. But she continued nonetheless. "We think...no. I know you were alive before during an era called the Silver Millennium. You obviously died. When you died, you took with you invaluable knowledge that could be beneficial to the Princess. If possible, Queen Serenity wishes to restore your memories. We need your permission for this.

"You could try..." Ciara said slowly after a brief pause. "When would you want to do this?"

This time, Serenity spoke up. "I wish we had the time to wait until you were fully recovered. With time being of the essence, it is pertinent this be done as soon as possible." The queen held out her hands and the Silver Crystal materialized. "With your permission?"

Ciara chewed the bottom of her lip before she nodded. A faint light emitted from the Silver Crystal. Ciara's eyes widened and she gasped. When the light faded away, she fell back on her pillow, clearly shaken.

"How do you feel?" Serenity asked.

"Not very well." Ciara replied. Usagi observed that her voice changed slightly. She still carried the peculiar dialect, but there was something different about her voice. "Could I please have some time alone?"

"I can leave a number for you to call when you're ready." Serenity said to Ciara. "It is never easy to regain your memories...Especially when you remember something traumatic as you undoubtedly have.

When her mother and Luna were ready to go, Usagi began to follow them. Before closing the door behind her, she caught one last look at Ciara. Her eyes were cast to the ceiling. She had a pained expression on her face that caused her to pause.

"Go on ahead, Mama. I'll catch up." Usagi said before re-entering the hospital room.

"Um..." Usagi began. Ciara directed her gaze to Usagi. "This is strange, I know. I don't have many friends. In fact, I really don't think I have any friends. I had a best friend nearly ten years ago, but things...Things changed. I could use a friend and am wondering if you're feeling better by the weekend...Would you...would you want to go to that concert?"

The stare Ciara fixed Usagi with made her feel utterly just told herself that she was probably overwhelmed with everything. The older woman once again took her time replying. "Sure." Was all she said.

"All right." Usagi said, suddenly feeling rather silly about her sudden decision. To mask it, her voice picked up. "I'll let you get some rest. I will see you later."

"Okay." Ciara said. Usagi lingered for one final moment before exiting the room.

* * *

Elemental Champion Quintessence's golden eyes studied the faces of the other Elemental Champions with her. While Fire was slouched over a chair, Water made it a point to be as poised as possible. Those two always had an interesting dynamic she thought. Both Water and Fire heartily detested not only her, but each other. Their overt display of emotions made them not only predictable, but their behavior was malleable. In contrast, Air and Metal were more reserved, which bothered her.

If it was one thing she vehemently disliked, it was not being able to read people. She knew exactly how two of the four would take what she had to say next.

"We need a new line of attack." she announced. The appearance of Sailorsaturn changed everything.

"Your changing strategies on us so early in the game, Quinty?" Fire asked. "Keep this up and we may start to question your leadership capabilities."

Quintessence only smiled in return. Any time she made announcements like this, Fire made a snide comment while Water sat with a bemused smile. She did not even need to look in Water's direction. She was a creature of habit and Quintessence knew her behavior well enough by now. "One day, you may get your chance." Quintessence said. "For now, I am sending you to Crystal Tokyo. Sightsee if you wish, but I need you for something else."

Fire's raised her eyebrows. "Tell me more."

"You and Metal will be traveling to Crystal Tokyo to cause some mayhem." She said, making eye contact with Metal. Just so the girl will feel included. "I want you, dearest Fire, to target a private venue while Metal targets an openly public spot. Make sure it isn't a place Sailormoon and Saturn won't visit. So avoid Tokyo University and the areas surrounding the Crystal Palace. Thinking may be hard for you, Fire, but do try."

Fire looked miffed at the public insult, but Quintessence was giving her autonomy, so Fire did not care too much. The likelihood of Saturn and Moon being at both locations was very low. Especially with their last line of attack.

"Air, you will be accompanying me." Another dream targeting the queen would attract the attention of Elysion and with the princess' dreams being protected by Helios, a second dream invasion is not feasible. If executed correctly, the hand of the Royal Family will be forced, allowing us to go after our true objective.

* * *

Diana's eyes fluttered opened. Stretching, she noticed her paws had become hands. Staring incredulously, she realized she no longer possessed a feline form. She was human. Only in Elysion, she supposed. Shakily getting to her feet, she took in the surroundings; golden skylines, endless fields with flowers of every hue, and a crystaline forest.

Yes, she thought, only in Elysion.

Elysion would be perfect if she could only manage to get to her feet. On her third attempt to stand, a pale white hand was held out in front of her. Gratefully, she took the priest of Elysion's hand. "Thank you, Helios-sama" she said. "I was wondering when you would be around."

Helios gave her a smile that never reached his eyes. "I always know when someone or enters this sacred place, whether through the physical or dreamworld."

"Then you would the answer to what I came here for." Diana said. When Helios regarded her with a quizzical stare, she told him her reason for being in Elysion.

Throughout the story, Helio's expression changed from aloof but welcoming to completely blank and unreadable. "Come." he said once she finished. "There are things you must know. A priest of Elysion has never left his post. However, as the Guardian of Time made an unprecedented move by leaving her own post, I feel the need is great enough that I may leave mine."

"Need?" Diana, asked. She took several clumsy steps to follow after Helios. He attempted to appear to be patient, but Diana could detect a hint of impatience at her inability to walk in his somber golden eyes. Also, if Diana detected a hint of bitterness in the priest's voice when mentioning Sailorpluto.

Walking eventually became easier. When she felt comfortable with her bipedal locomotion, Helios began to speak to her. "Elysion has many functions and fortunately, I am not the only inhabitant."

That surprised Diana. She had never thought about Elysion too much, but she always assumed Helios was the solitary guardian of the dreamworld and the Golden Crystal. "What does everyone else do?" she asked.

"They are maenads and unfortunately, the activities of Elysion is like a mystery religion. Even the Royal Family is not privy to the information." Helios said.

When the pair came to a shrine, Diana observed a lone woman tending to the shrine. All she could see was long pin straight pale blonde. "This is Ariadne." Helios said. "She is one of the maneads of Elysion and will be accompanying us to Earth."

When Ariadne heard her name, she looked up. Her facial expression was as stony and unreadable as the priests. Diana had no idea where scissors were in Elysion, but Ariadne had layered bangs that framed a remarkably pretty face. Her icy blue eyes studied Diana and they were as unreadable as her face. Diana immediately decided she did not like her.

"Master," Ariadne said. "Who is this? She looks human…but isn't. Is she an anomaly or abomination?"

Diana knew she was not human, but hearing it made her face flush. There was a fine line between embarrassment and anger and she was not sure where she was at. "I'm Diana, advisor to Neo-Queen Serenity-sama and King Endymion-sama of Crystal Tokyo and a loyal friend to Small Lady Princess Serenity-sama." she said.

Speaking of Usagi-sama, Diana had no idea how her friend would react to Helios showing up on Earth accompanied by a pretty woman who called him master.

"Maiden…" Helios murmured to himself. "Although my business on Earth has a purpose, I will admit that I am looking forward to seeing my maiden again."

* * *

Author's note: An original character? Blech, I know, I know. I usually dislike them too. But I absolutely promise I don't write Mary Sues. Dark and brooding is my sort of thing.


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as Usagi arrived at the concert venue, her nose wrinkled ever so slightly. She instantly felt out of place. While she dressed in a nice shirt that showed just a little cleavage and a comfortable albeit old pair of jeans, everyone else was dressed, quite...differently. Pretending not to notice how out of place she looked, she strode with confidence to the ticket booth and paid for her own ticket. No one seemed to take notice of her outfit at least.

She had asked Hotaru if she would be able to make it to the concert. Usagi figured it could be a senshi bonding time. Unfortunately, Hotaru had to work and needed to decline the offer. As she waited for the transaction to take place, she briefly wondered what kind of outfit her old friend would have worn. From what she understood, Hotaru had a normal teenage years and a brief rebellious period while in college. She might have come dressed to kill. Usagi liked the thought of Hotaru, dressed in impossibly high heels and a short skirt, waving a glow stick around. Make that several glow sticks.

With the ticket in hand, she began to scan the crowd, looking for Ciara. The other woman may not have been receptive to her, but she eventually did call Usagi. More than that, she agreed to meet her for the concert.

"You wore open-toed shoes?" Came Ciara's familiar dialect. "To a concert?"

Usagi caught a glimpse of Ciara's outfit-it was as outrageous as everyone else'-before she glanced down at her boot sandals. They looked fine. In fact, she thought the various buckles on them fit right in with what everyone else was wearing. "What's wrong with them?"

"You might get your feet stepped on." Ciara pointed out.

Curiously, Usagi glanced at her ticket. Instead of listing a seat order, she paled slightly when she saw it was general admission. "Crap!"

"Let me think. I'm a size seven...which is a twenty-five here?" she puzzled out loud. "Are you a size twenty five? We could switch shoes if you really want to. My feet were sweating on the train here. So my socks are probably pretty gross..."

Usagi was not even close to that shoe size. Nor did she have any intention of wearing someone's shoes. The offer was gross, but much appreciated since Ciara's was seemingly more amiable than when she first met her in the hospital. Ciara may not be a senshi and her past life may not help her and Hotaru out too much, but she was only a year older than her. Being with someone her own age was refreshing. Thinking quick, Usagi said, "I'm okay. Who knows, people could say they had the chance to step on the Crown Princesses' toes."

Ciara, who was unsure how to react, gave an awkward smile as they passed the bored looking ticket taker. "I'm going to get a drink." she said. "You don't mind if I drink, do you?"

Usagi just raised an eyebrow. "How dare you." she chastised in a deadpan tone. This time, Ciara looked genuinely amused.

Usagi was at least wise enough to have brought a small purse with only a few belongings in it while Ciara's purse was fairly large by comparison. When the pair arrived at the bar, Ciara had her wallet out. "Put your money away. I'm paying." Usagi did not know much about the military, but she knew one thing: the pay was not the best. Growing up, Mama and Papa had allowed her to have sake or a glass of wine on occasion. When she first entered college, she had a beer with her father, but ended up drinking only a little of it before giving it to her father to finish.

To say the least, she felt intimidated by the alcohol selection. "What do you recommend?" she asked.

"It depends. Do you want something strong or fruity?" Ciara asked.

Not wanting to look like an idiot in front of Usagi, who she pegged as a seasoned drinker, she did not want to say fruity. "Strong." By now, the bartender was waiting on one of them to say something. "She's going to order for me, but I'll pay."

"I'll have a...I don't know how to say in in Japanese. Um...Jameson and Coke for me. And a Redbull and vodka. Cherry vodka Actually, no. Two Redbull and vodkas. Cherry vodka though." Ciara said, fumbling her Japanese. She ended up pointing to the various beverages as she talked.

"Redbull and vodka?" Usagi questioned once she paid. "That sounds awful!"

"It's not that bad." Ciara said. "Just one of these will be good for a while. Trust me."

When she got the drink, Usagi expected it to taste like cough syrup. Once she got passed the strange taste combinations, it was not as bad as she initially suspected.

"Are you going to be able to handle that?" Ciara asked worriedly. "I can get you something else."

Usagi just laughed. Whether it was from amusement, or the fact the drink made her drink flush, she wasn't sure. "I'll be fine. It isn't treason to get me drunk! It might be tomorrow, but right now, it's legal."

Once they entered the room with the stage, Usagi was feeling a little more at ease with Ciara. She still felt out of place at the concert, but she hoped she could unwind a little once the music started. She noticed a blonde girl with red tipped hair staring in her direction. As she was slightly inebriated, she just nodded in the woman's direction. In return, the woman flashed Usagi a wicked smile before giving two thumbs up.

Usagi gave the woman two thumbs up in return. It seemed like the right thing to do. She then took another gulp from her drink and tried her best to ignore the burning sensation caused by her throat. She spotted an area where very few people were standing. "Let's go over there." she suggested.

"Good idea. When the music starts up, the crowd usually rushes the stage. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like having my ribs crushed against a metal gate for two hours. I'm still feeling a bit weak from your party."

Once more, Usagi realized she was very out of place here. She felt like she was being suffocated already. Being crammed together and forced against a...metal gate sounded unbearable. How anyone thought that was fun was beyond her level of comprehension.

Unfortunately, when the music started, she realized that this was not the place for her.

* * *

"What a crowd, eh?" the drummer said to the bassist. The bassist had long cherry red hair with wispy bangs that needed to be trimmed before they fell into her black eyes. Out of all the other band members who were pale, she had dark tan skin.

"At least they won't go crazy like the British or God forbid, the Americans." the bassist, Audra Manaka replied.

"Rumor has it the princess is in the crowd." The drummer continued. "Of course, every female with pink hair is automatically Princess Serenity."

"Look at my face." Audra instructed. Once she noted that her drummer complied, she continued. "See this face? This is the face that doesn't give a fuck."

"God, Audra. You are such a royalist. A true supporter of the monarchy. A patriot." the drummer remarked. "Whatever. I'm going to have a smokey smoke before we start. Could I bum one off of you?"

"I quit." Audra said. Nonetheless, she produced a cigarette and handed one to her band mate.

Once she was alone, Audra risked looking into the crowd. She wondered if the princess really was in the crowd. Either way, she thought, it was going to be a good show.

* * *

"I had no idea we were standing where the mosh pits starts!" Ciara shouted to Usagi after they got out of the pit. In addition on being ignorant on the rationale behind mosh pit formation, Usagi was also oblivious to the fact that slamming into one another violently constituted as someone's idea of fun. At least people had been kind enough to grab her purse and hold it up for her to retrieve when she was knocked down.

"Can we go somewhere else?" Usagi shouted. The music was not her taste at all, but she woke up this morning, determined that she would go to this concert and have fun.

"You want to leave?!"

Usagi thought about it. "No. Just somewhere else!"

"We can try the balcony They might be closed. Ciara motioned for Usagi to follow her while she lead the way towards the balcony.

Just as Ciara said, someone on security was blocking the entrance. Usagi did not want to leave the concert altogether, but she did not want to go anywhere near the mosh pit. She produced two forms of identification and handed them to the security guard, whose eyes widened like saucers. "S-S-sorry, Your Highness. But the balcony is closed." he stammered over the sound of the band. He bowed multiple times while he talked. "There's construction going on. You can try the backstage. I'll radio that you're coming."

"Thank you so much"! Usagi called after the guard.

She stood on her tip toes to determine the safest path to get to the stage. Initially, Usagi politely shouted, apologies as she made her way through the crowd. Eventually, Ciara moved in front of her. Taking the princess by one hand, she used the other to elbow her way through the crowd.

Usagi was aghast and wondered if this was standard practice in America. She knew American manners were crass, but not THIS bad!

After what seemed like an eternal journey through hot and sweaty bodies, Usagi and Ciara emerged from the crowd to come face-to-face with another security guard. Before Usagi could announce herself, there was a loud explosion to her right. Screams filled the hall only to be drowned out by the fire alarms going off. Usagi quickly stood on the stairs to examine the scene. If anyone was injured, she could not see because the terrified attendees began a stampede towards the nearest exit signs.

Another explosion shook the hall and this time, she saw tongues of fire emerge from the crowd. Despite her inebriated state, she was able to register the enemy was present. Grabbing her transformation wand, she shouted, "MOON CELESTIAL POWER! MAKE UP!"

* * *

"Damn it!" Ciara swore as she ducked for cover through gritted teeth. The pain in her body subsided since her discharge, but just barely.

Ciara was sick of the soldier bullshit. This was the second time she thought she would be able to have a little fun only to be thrust into a battle with Sailor Senshi. Everyone was freaking out and quite frankly, Ciara did not blame them. Had she not been given her past life memories back, she was certain that she would be making a beeline for the nearest exit too.

But not now…

Pulling her shirt up to prevent from inhaling too much smoke, she looked down at a pile of flaming debris where several people were stuck under there. With reckless abandon, she grabbed one side and pulled upwards in attempt to free the people underneath. "Fuuuuuuuuck!" she swore when she realized she was not going to be able to move it by herself.

"Grab it again and pull!" a voice instructed. Much to Ciara's amazement, the bassist was standing next to her. Someone else was keeping their shit together. She liked that.

Eventually, the debris gave way enough for the people trapped underneath to pull themselves out. After the last person shakily got to their feet, Audra turned to Ciara. "You did something awesome, but I want you to know you are completely fucking insane for staying here. Let's go!"

Audra grabbed Ciara's arm, but suddenly froze in her spot. Ciara frowned and focused on Audra. There was something very peculiar about her. And then she saw the grey aura that surrounded Audra.

There was no way...

Then Ciara remembered that she was the reincarnation of a Lunarian military officer who was revered a hero. There was no rhyme or reason to her being reborn on Earth. When she considered that, the existence of a senshi whose planet was long gone no longer seemed that farfetched.

* * *

Sailormoon held out her scepter that had the Silver Crystal in it. The Silver Crystal emitted a faint hue as Sailormoon focused her energy. "Silver Moon Salvation!" she cried. The glow of the silver crystal intensified until the room was engulfed in a silver light that extinguished the remaining fires. Through the crowd that had yet to disperse, Sailormoon recognized the woman who had given her two thumbs up earlier that evening. Her outfit had changed into an identical outfit as Elemental Champions Quintessence and Water only the outfit was red with orange accents.

"What a shame you have a few drinks in you." Elemental Champion Fire taunted as tongues of fire appeared in her hands. "Otherwise your reaction time may be better. Save everyone now, princess!"

Once more, flames flew in every direction and it took everything Sailormoon had to not shut her eyes and cover her ears to shut out the screams from the remaining people. She could feel the heat radiating from off of her face.

_Move_! She screamed at herself just in time to dodge out of the way from a falling lights. She felt useless, her attack stopped the fires from spreading further, but did nothing to stop the enemy from attacking once more. She looked like she had not been affected by the attack in the slightest.

In the twentieth century, she had her mother stepping in to save her or the other senshi. On her birthday, she was ineffective. It was Saturn who saved the day and Hotaru wasn't here. She was drunk and useless.

Through the sounds of the fire and anguished screams of the injured, Sailormoon heard a voice call out: "Phantom Gale!"

A howling wind came rushing past Sailormoon. Wind never had a shape, but Sailormoon could still see ghostly faces appear and disappear as the wind seemingly zig-zagged passed the innocent people still trapped in the concert hall. It struck Elemental Champion Fire with enough force to pick her up and slam her into a nearby wall.

Sailormoon searched the room until her eyes fell on a sailorfuku clad woman with cherry red hair. Her facial expression was contorted and sweat began dripping down her face as if she were exerting herself beyond her limits. Upon her transforming from Sailorchibimoon to Sailormoon, her uniform had undergone a change. The new senshi's uniform was similar to her current one: a grey bodysuit and skirt. The bows were longer than the previous senshi's and were the same color as the collar and stripe at the bottom of her skirt: a reddish orange.

A new senshi! Mama and Papa were wrong after all. While Sailormoon could not recognize the uniform colors, she was overjoyed at the prospect of one more senshi!

She was pulled from her thoughts as the new senshi snarled at her. "DO SOMETHING!"

Sailormoon wanted to do something, but her attack already proved ineffective. Just as she was about to try her first attack, a new idea came over her. Holding her scepter, she focused her energy and the scepter grew into a staff that she held above her head and felt not only her energy being built up, but the Silver Crystal's as well. "LUNAR DOMINION!" she screamed, slamming the staff on the ground.

Silence fell over the room as Sailormoon exerted her will on the outcome she wanted. Elemental Champion Fire began to shriek before she teleported away. She could hear the sounds of fire engines from outside. "We should go. There isn't anything more we can do here." she said to the new senshi who was approaching her. The look on her face darkened.

"Of course there isn't. It's because you were standing there, having a tea party while people around you were dying! Why didn't you do something?" she demanded.

Sailormoon considered it. "I was scared. I don't know my powers and...I was scared."

"Yet there were people with no powers who displayed more heroics than you."

Sailormoon wanted desperately to defend herself. Yet, this was not the time or place. "Let's get out of here and go someplace safe. You can criticize me there. I am still trying to process everything."

The look in the new sailor senshi's eyes were cold fury. Both Sailormoon and the new senshi turned their heads as Ciara approached. Or rather slowly staggered towards them. Whatever happened during the fight, she clearly injured herself again. "Where would we go?" the senshi asked.

"The Crystal Palace." Sailormoon said.

The other senshi bit the bottom of her lip before surveying the scene. "I won't be able to know what happened to my bandmates by sticking around here anyway." She mused. "Let's go."

* * *

I know...an original character and an original Sailor Senshi. They are profoundly annoying. Trust me, I know. I just hope I can make them entertaining.


	5. Chapter 5

Work had always left Hotaru emotionally and physically exhausted. Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama always pleaded with her to at least consider dropping down to a part-time status instead of working full-time with overtime. That was not an option Hotaru wanted to consider…at least not until she was married...and possibly had children of her own.

While in college, Hotaru realized she did not have the energy to study the field of medicine and immediately switched her major to nursing. Once she graduated, she began working as a pediatric nurse. She enjoyed her job, but sometimes, it was a reminder that she was in her late twenties and remained not only childless, but unmarried.

Just like every night, Hotaru cut through Juuban Park in order to get to the train station. She paused momentarily to adjust the bag from her aching shoulders when she heard her cell phone vibrate. Moving to the nearest bench, Hotaru set the bag down in order to rummage through it and retrieve her phone.

Pulling it out, she unlocked the touchscreen and furrowed her brows slightly. The message was from Oozora Masaya, the man she had been dating for the past six months. _Call me_, was all the text message said.

Hotaru was immediately filled with a sense of anxiety. Masaya was never the type for fluff and romance, a novelty Hotaru appreciated, but the message was so vague. It made her mind draw conclusions. "Not again," she prayed while hitting the Call button on her phone. Maintaining stable relationships were always difficult for Tomoe Hotaru and she only hoped Masaya did not suddenly want to end theirs.

"Hotaru!" a masculine voice breathed happily on the phone. "Did you just get off of work? Where are you?"

"Still in Juuban," Hotaru replied. "I was just heading to the station. Why? Is everything alright?"

"It's fine." Masaya replied. "I was worried you went to that concert with your childhood friend."

Hotaru had never mentioned she had been friends with Princess Serenity to Masaya. That would lead to too many uncomfortable questions about time travel and possible discussions on being the harbinger of destruction. Those were things she would rather not tell Masaya. Not yet anyway.

But the concert…Chibiusa

"What happened? Was it at Studio Coast?"

"Yeah, actually it was. And there was a fire. That's the only thing I know so far. The media is trying to spin it as a terrorist attack. They say Sailormoon showed up, but I seriously doubt Princess Serenity would be there."

The long silence on the phone made Masaya anxious as well. "I know your guardians were close to the Royal Family. Are you okay? Harakuju is only a few stops away. We can get a tea...or coffee."

When Hotaru didn't reply, Masaya continued. "Maybe a milkshake?"

"I hate milkshakes." Hotaru said sullenly. She felt her nose wrinkling at the thought.

"You hate milk. I know. I just wanted to keep you on your toes."

Hotaru just wanted to go home and rest her tired feet. Then maybe turn on the news to see if it was the new enemy. However, Masaya was worried enough to call...

"I can be in Harajuku in about thirty minutes. Where do you want to meet?"

"I'll look something up and text you the location." Masaya replied. There was another brief pause. "Hotaru?"

"Hrm?"

"I ...I'm glad you're safe. I'll see you soon."

* * *

Instead of texting the address, Masaya decided to meet Hotaru at the station. She did not have to wait long before she noticed Masaya. He was slightly taller than the average Japanese man and dark violet hair that needed to be cut. Hotaru's favorite features were his vibrant green eyes.

One of her co-workers remarked Masaya was, "dripping with sex appeal." Initially, Hotaru felt herself growing flustered whenever she thought of that, but eventually, it was something she accepted and agreed with.

She barely made it to her boyfriend before she felt a temblor beneath her feet. It was not an earthquake, it felt different. Before Hotaru could comment on it, the she heard a screech from the train behind her. Then the world went black.

* * *

Hotaru was not sure how long she was unconscious, but when she came to, she surveyed her surroundings. The entire area was filled with smoke, reducing her visibility. Yet, Hotaru could make out the trains that were torn apart and thrown around the station like they were mere toys instead of thousand pounds of metal. The railroad tracks jutted out of their usual position. All around her, she could see that people were impaled by railroad spikes. The entire scene reminded Hotaru of the images from the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Hotaru registered two facts at the same time: the searing pain in her body, specially her ears. She tenderly touched her right ear and flinched. When she pulled her hand back, she noticed it covered in blood. Which also explained the second fact: the surrounding area was silent.

Hotaru looked to her immediate left and saw that Masaya was sprawled out on the ground, a piece of a train sticking into his back.

If she gasped or screamed, Hotaru did not know. Without thinking about the enemy, she crawled over to Masaya's body and took his hand. It was still warm, a good sign. Next, she checked his radial pulse. It felt fairly weak, but he was alive.

He was also going to remain that way. As carefully as possible, Hotaru examined the wound. She knew she should not remove any foreign objects impaled in a patient's body without a surgeon's direction. But she normally did not use her powers to her patient's wounds.

"It will be okay," she said as gently as possible before pulling the metal out of her boyfriend's back. His body shuddered in protest, but if he said something, Hotaru was oblivious to it.

Finally, she moved into a position that was more comfortable before her. She laid her hands on Masaya's back and concentrated. The healing energy warmed her hands but left the rest of her body cold.

When she was finished, black specks danced across her vision. It took all the strength she had to grasp her henshin wand in order to transform.

Sailotsaturm immediately felt stronger. Her hearing had returned and she could hear the anguished cries of the people around her.

_I can't save them all,_ she told herself, _I can only prevent more people from behind hurt. _

The moment she stood up, half of the train was lifted into the air. Saturn was ready for it. "Silent Wall!" she cried. When the train it the barrier, it fell back to the ground. Sailorsaturn avoided dwelling on the fact there were still injured passengers in that train. Were. They were all probably dead now.

"Coward! "Sailorsaturn cried once she was a safe distance away from Masaya. "Come out and fight!"

"The women who Silenced the Silver Millennium with just three words wishes to challenge me?" a voice questioned. Eyes darting in all directions, Sailorsaturn tightened the grip on the Silence Glaive as her head whipped around, looking for the source.

"You won't find me." the Elemental Champion assured. "My dominion is over metals. Look at the scattered metal you see around you. This has allowed me to manipulate and control sound. You won't find me unless I make myself known. I'm no coward, but I will fight you. Under one condition. You use no spells. Is that a deal?"

"Deal." Saturn said. Being Sailorsaturm meant there was no kill like an overkill, she did not need to use an incantation to destroy.

The protective barrier around Saturn dissipated. Careful not to look inside the train car, she moved around it. That is when she saw the Elemental Champion. The woman had short grey spikey hair, black eyes, and a uniform to match those colors. "Tch, fool." was all she said before several railroad spikes were hurled at Sailorsaturn.

But the spikes never hit. Like a violet shadow, Saturn swopped in, twirling the Silence Glaive and reflecting the spikes with her weapon's blade. "That was a cheap trick." Saturn said once she deflected the last spike.

"I never said I would play fair." Elemental Champion Metal replied with a rueful shrug. "By the way, look where you're stepping."

Saturn looked down to see the piece of train below her boot. Before she could move, the metal morphed turning into spikes that cut into her foot. Letting out an anguished cry, she hoped to her immediate left.

"It's interesting." Metal said calmly as she approached Sailorsaturn. "Everyone was so afraid of you. I, however, don't see anything particularly remarkable about you."

Through her gritted teeth, Sailorsaturn glared at Elemental Champion Metal. That bitch was not going to take another step. Saturn prepared to call out her "Silence Glaive Surprise", but new words began to form on her lips.

Metal froze and raised her eyebrows when she noticed Sailorsaturn's eyes. They were glowing with a shadowed purple light. "Divine Repose." Saturn intoned quietly.

Elemental Champion silently and unceremoniously fell to the ground. Although she struggled, her eyes eventually fluttered closed, never to open again.

"Hotaru..."

Hearing her name, Sailorsaturn turned around and saw Masaya in a prone position, obviously weak, but watching her. Despite her injured foot, Saturn immediately wanted to retreat. As far as she knew, no one ever knew the identities of the Sailor Senshi. With the exception of Neo-Queen Serenity and now Princess Serenity, of course.

Not only that, but she was the harbinger of destruction. She had tried so hard to keep her powers hidden. Now, Masaya knew. Saturn blinked several times to make sure Masaya did not see the tears that threatened to fall as she limped over to him. "I'm not a monster..." she croaked.

Slowly Masaya began to stand up. _To run, _Saturn thought gloomily.

"Come here." he said.

Confused, Saturn knelt next to Masaya. His arms were shaky, but he wrapped his arms around her nonetheless. "You're not a monster," he whispered into her ear. "You're my Hotaru. And you're a hero. You saved me and so many other lives."

Saturn could no longer hold back her tears. Weeping openly, she buried her head into Masaya's chest. She felt her transformation fade, but ignored it. To comfort her, he began to stoke her hair. That only caused Saturn to cry harder. "But everyone who died..."

"There is nothing you could do about that. You didn't kill them." When the petite woman remained unresponsive, Masaya repeated himself. "Hotaru, you did not kill them."

She felt Masaya's weight shift as he examined her foot. "We need to go." He told her. "We inhaled too much smoke already."

Attempting to stand up proved difficult. After several unsuccessful attempts to help Hotaru, walk, Masaya and Hotaru moved to the ground and breathed into their shirts, waiting for the paramedics.

* * *

Note: Hotaru mentioning her desire to get married is actually part of the Japanese culture. Japan is a kaikon shakai, or all marriage society. A woman's raison d'etre is having and raising children. If women are not married by a certain age (22-25), the Japanese usually regard them as untrustworthy. Considering Hotaru was treated like a pariah before awakening as Sailorsaturn, I only imagine she would be a little self-conscious of any societal scorn.

I just wanted to give that little sociological tidbit so I don't look like I set the women's rights movement back by a few decades.


End file.
